-Caveat Lector- > ATTACHMENT part 2 message/rfc822 > Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 21:00:25 -0500 (CDT) > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Rich Winkel) > Subject: Censored: Secrets of Cheney's Energy Task > Force Come to Light > To: undisclosed-recipients:; > > (#8) Secrets of Cheney's Energy Task Force Come to > Light > > JUDICIAL WATCH, July 17,2003 > Title: Cheney Energy Task Force Documents Feature > Map of Iraqi Oilfields > Author: Judicial Watch staff > > FOREIGN POLICY IN FOCUS, January 2004 > Title: Bush-Cheney Energy Strategy:Procuring the > Rest of the Worlds Oil > Author: Michael Klare > > Faculty Evaluators: James Carr, Ph.D., Alexandra Von > Meier, Ph.D. > Student Researcher: Cassie Cypher, Shannon Arthur > > Documents turned over in the summer of 2003 by the > Commerce Department > as a result of the Sierra Clubs and Judicial Watchs > Freedom of > Information Act lawsuit, concerning the activities > of the Cheney > Energy Task Force, contain a map of Iraqi oilfields, > pipelines, > refineries and terminals, as well as two charts > detailing Iraqi oil > and gas projects, and Foreign Suitors for Iraqi > Oilfield Contracts. > The documents, dated March 2001, also feature maps > of Saudi Arabian > and United Arab Emirates oilfields, pipelines, > refineries and tanker > terminals. There are supporting charts with details > of the major > oil and gas development projects in each country > that provide > information on the projects costs, capacity, oil > company and status > or completion date. > > Documented plans of occupation and exploitation > predating September > 11 confirm heightened suspicion that U.S. policy is > driven by the > dictates of the energy industry. According to > Judicial Watch > President, Tom Fitton, These documents show the > importance of the > Energy Task Force and why its operations should be > open to the > public. > > When first assuming office in early 2001, President > Bush's top > foreign policy priority was not to prevent terrorism > or to curb the > spread of weapons of mass destructionor any of the > other goals he > espoused later that year following 9-11. Rather, it > was to increase > the flow of petroleum from suppliers abroad to U.S. > markets. In the > months before he became president, the United States > had experienced > severe oil and natural gas shortages in many parts > of the country, > along with periodic electrical power blackouts in > California. In > addition, oil imports rose to more than 50% of total > consumption > for the first time in history, provoking great > anxiety about the > security of the country's long-term energy supply. > Bush asserted > that addressing the nation's "energy crisis" was his > most important > task as president. > > The energy turmoil of 2000-01 prompted Bush to > establish a task > force charged with developing a long-range plan to > meet U.S. energy > requirements. With the advice of his close friend > and largest > campaign contributor, Enron CEO, Ken Lay, Bush > picked Vice President > Dick Cheney, former Halliburton CEO, to head this > group. In 2001 > the Task Force formulated the National Energy Policy > (NEP), or > Cheney Report, bypassing possibilities for energy > independence and > reduced oil consumption with a declaration of > ambitions to establish > new sources of oil. > > The Bush Administrations struggle to keep secret the > workings of > Cheneys Energy Task Force has been ongoing since > early in the > Presidents tenure. The General Accounting Office, > the investigative > arm of Congress, requested information in spring of > 2001 about which > industry executives and lobbyists the Task Force was > meeting with > in developing the Bush Administration's energy plan. > When Cheney > refused disclosure, Congress was pressed to sue for > the right to > examine Task Force records, but lost. Later, amid > political pressure > building over improprieties regarding Enrons > colossal collapse, > Cheney's office released limited information > revealing six Task > Force meetings with Enron executives. > > With multiple lawsuits currently pending, the Bush > Administration > asserts that its right to secrecy is a matter of > executive privilege > in regard to White House records. But because the > White House staffed > the Task Force with employees from the Department of > Energy and > elsewhere, it cannot pretend that its documents are > White House > records. A 2001 case, in which the Justice > Department has four times > appealed federal court rulings that the Vice > President release task > force records, has been brought before the Supreme > Court. The case > Richard B Cheney v. U.S. District Court for the > District of Colombia, > No. 03-475, to be heard by Cheneys friend and duck > hunting partner, > Justice Scalia, is now pending. Cases based on the > Federal Advisory > Committee Act and Freedom of Information Act which > require the Task > Force a balanced membership, open meetings, and > public records, are > attempting to beat the Bush Administration in its > battle to keep > its internal workings secret. > > UPDATE BY MICHAEL KLARE: The issue of U.S. > dependence on imported > oil has only become more critical over the past few > months as U.S. > oil demand has risen and global supplies have > contracted, pushing > up gasoline prices in the U.S., and thereby > threatening the economic > recovery now (supposedly) under way. This, in turn, > has made oil > prices and dependency an issue in the presidential > election, with > President George W. Bush defending the status quo > and Senator John > Kerry, the presumed Democratic nominee, calling for > dramatic action > to reduce U.S. dependence on imported petroleum. > > The contraction of global supplies is due in large > part to political > turmoil in the major producing areas precisely the > sort of situation > I predicted in my article. In particular, the pace > of overseas oil > production has been moderated by repeated sabotage > of oil infrastructure > in Iraq, terrorist strikes on foreign oil firms in > Saudi Arabia, > ethnic unrest in the Delta region of Nigeria, and > continuing political > turbulence in Venezuela. Together, these > developments have pushed > oil prices to their highest levels in decades. At > the same time, > the Bush Administration has shown no inclination to > reduce U.S. > military involvement in major overseas producing > areas, especially > the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea basin and Africa. > > All of this has had one effect: The major news media > are beginning > to pay much closer attention to the links between > political turmoil > abroad and the economics of oil at home. Most major > newspapers, > including the New York Times and the Wall Street > Journal, have > published articles on various aspects of this > problem. Still, the > media remains reluctant to explain the close link > between the energy > policies of the Bush Administration and U.S. > military strategy. > > A number of new books have come out (or soon will) > that bear on > this subject. My own book, Blood and Oil: The > Dangers and Consequences > of America's Growing Petroleum Dependency will be > published by > Metropolitan Books in August. Also highly > recommended are: Out of > Gas, by David Goodstein (W.W. Norton); The End of > Oil, by Paul > Roberts (Houghton Mifflin); and The Party's Over, by > Richard Heinberg > (New Society Publishers). > > Project Censored - Sonoma State University > 1801 East Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928 > (707) 664-2500 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
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